Ohana

A feudal lord's retreat that became a count's home, then a traditional inn, Ohana sits on a 23,000-square-meter estate designated Japan's only National Place of Scenic Beauty where overnight stays are permitted. Kaiseki dinners unfold in former family quarters above Shoto-en Garden, cypress soaking tubs wait in the guest rooms, and original Tachibana ceramics and textiles survived the renovation. The 100-tatami-mat hall catches morning light in the way old buildings seem to have planned for.